Differential Generator

The Differential Generator is a power-producing building that converts cryofluid-cooled reactions and combustible resources into electrical output. It occupies a mid-to-late game niche between simple Steam Generators and high-end reactors: it produces more power than a Steam Generator for the same fuel type but requires cryofluid infrastructure and multiple mined resources as inputs. Differential Generators also attract enemy Flares when placed within range.

The generator accepts combustible items (coal, spore pods, or pyratite) and consumes cryofluid as its cooling/working fluid. Its effective power output is roughly equivalent to about 3.27 Steam Generators when burning coal, 2.85 when burning spore pods, or 2.34 when burning pyratite. Despite higher per-cycle output, the Differential Generator’s longer production cycle means it consumes far less fuel over time: in practice it uses about 40.3% of the fuel a single Steam Generator would consume over the same running time.

Setting up a Differential Generator requires a cryofluid supply chain. Pooled Cryofluid production needs water, titanium, and some input power to run Pooled Cryofluid Mixers, so the generator is more infrastructure-intensive than Steam Generators, which only require water and fuel (water can be supplied by Mechanical Pumps). In maps or bases with limited titanium, Steam Generators are often the only affordable early option.

When thorium is available, Thorium Reactors are generally superior. Thorium Reactors require fewer mined materials to fuel (thorium + titanium) compared to the four different drill resources needed to run a Differential Generator (coal, sand, lead, titanium) and they use cryofluid more efficiently (Thorium Reactor cryofluid ratio is 5:1 vs Differential’s 2:1). Thorium Reactors also produce higher sustained output without the same infrastructure overhead for cryofluid.

Differential Generators are useful as bootstrap or hybrid power solutions. They can serve as jump-starters for an Impact Reactor because they do not explode and therefore pose no risk of destructive chain reactions. Two Pooled Cryofluid Mixers can supply one Differential and one Impact Reactor with a slight surplus. You can also use one Differential Generator to pre-charge a Battery Large and employ logic control to start an Impact Reactor once enough power is available to complete its startup cycle.

The generator can be integrated into other production chains to reduce waste and hazard. Silicon Crucibles commonly accumulate excess pyratite (a crucible holds up to 30 pyratite but only consumes 0.6 per second), creating an incendiary risk. Routing that excess pyratite into a Differential Generator reduces flammability and offsets the crucible’s power draw. Two Pyratite Mixers produce enough pyratite for two crucibles plus one generator; four mixers can support four crucibles and two generators, and a single Cryofluid Mixer can support that pair of generators.

Practical notes and strategies:

• Use Differential Generators where fuel efficiency per-item matters and you can afford cryofluid/titanium infrastructure. They are fuel-frugal over time but infrastructure-heavy.
• Prefer Steam Generators when titanium is scarce or when you want a simpler water+fuel setup with no cryofluid chain.
• Prefer Thorium Reactors when thorium is available: they require fewer resource types and use cryofluid more efficiently.
• Combine Differential Generators with batteries and logic to bootstrap larger reactors like the Impact Reactor safely.
• Redirect excess pyratite from Silicon Crucibles to Differential Generators to reduce fire risk and recover power.
• Be aware that enemy Flares will target Differential Generators, so protect or camouflage them appropriately.

The generator’s flavor and described operation align with thermoelectric principles: it is modeled on a device that generates electrical power from temperature differences, reflecting its reliance on cryofluid cooling and combustible heat sources.